Today it was time for some of our cows to get pedicures. Because our cows are out on pasture often, they naturally keep their hooves pretty well trimmed by walking around. However, sometimes they need a little extra attention, and that's when we call the hoof trimmer.
This morning the hoof trimmer came, and first things first...he and Jim walked through the barn to agree on which cows needed attention. Then he backed into the barnyard to get set up. He had lots of gates to adapt to various situations...
The gates are set up to funnel the cows in the right direction...
Each cow was directed down the chute and into place...
Once she was securely in place, the trimming began. Some needed only two hooves trimmed, and some needed all four. He evened off the bottoms and the long edges of the hooves where needed...
When the hoof trimmer has the cows foot secured, he also checks for injuries or infections, and treats them accordingly.
Did the cows find it relaxing and enjoyable like you do? Probably not...but it was necessary. Anything out of the ordinary makes cows nervous, but as soon as they were released, they had the option to go out into the meadow and munch on some lush green grass, and before long they were enjoying themselves.
All in a day's work!
Linking to Good Fences today. Click on the link for more posts featuring gates or fences. Thanks TexWisGirl for hosting!
I've often wondered when visiting places where cows live in barns how the farmers manage feet problems. And now I know! I have to admit I'm pretty amazed. Never imagined this to be the solution. That is one complicated looking machine the toe trimmer uses. Thanks for the enlightenment.
ReplyDeletemy horses never completely relax when getting their hooves trimmed, either. i can imagine it is harder on cows!
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting to see things like this when you aren't around that type of thing.
ReplyDeleteAnother good lesson for we non-cow people!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the cows appreciated the trim once it was all over with. : )
ReplyDeleteVery cool! Thanks for sharing. What a nifty contraption.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that you have someone to come do that. My MJ had to have his feet trimmed once, and we had to take him to the vets and put him on the tilt table. I think the vet was afraid the table was going to break with MJ's weight. LOL
ReplyDelete